Gas or vapor electric device and method of controlling the same



Sept. 20, 1932. R. D. MAILEY 3 5 59 GAS OR VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME Filed Jan. 12, 1929 INVENTOR 3 ms A ORNEY Patented Sept. 20, 1932 UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE ROY D. MAILEY, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR '10 GENERAL ELECTRIC VAPOR LAMP COMPANY, OF I-IOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY GAS OR VAPOR ELECTRIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME Application filed January 12, 1929. Serial No. 332,130.

The-present invention relates to gaseous discharge devices and particularly to devlces in Which'a condensable vapor is used alone or useful features of construction and combinations of parts and method of operation thereof as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In gaseous discharge devices having a condensable vapor therein considerable difiiculty has been encountered in regulating the vapor pressure during operation. The vapor tends to condense in the cooler portions of the device and to collect in a pool at the bottom thereof, the temperature of the pool varying with atmospheric and other conditions. The present invention has solved thls difficulty in a. very simple manner by providing means whereby the hotter portions of the device are made to supply a regulatable amount of heat to this pool of condensate, whereby the tem perature thereof may be maintained at any desired value. Or the heat supplied may, if desired, be suflicient to entirely prevent the formation of such a pool.

In the accompanying drawing there are shown for purposes of illustration two different types of discharge device embodying my invention, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in sect-ion, of a discharge device commonly known as a hot cathode tube with the present invention embodied therein,

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a mercury arc device of the Cooper Hewitt type embodying my invention, and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device of Fig. 2.

With reference to Fig. 1 a conventional hot cathode tube is shown in which the envelope 1 of glass, quartz or the like has an anode 2 at one end thereof and a cathode 3 and heater a at the other end, the leads thereto being sealed through the walls of said envelope in a well known manner. A gaseous atmosphere is provided for the envelope 1, comprising a vaporizable substance such as mercury, lithium, sodium and the like, or any con'ibination thereof, and if desired for any reason, any of the gases commonly used in such devices or a mixture thereof may also be intrmluced into the envelope 1 with the vaporizable substance. In the device being used to illustrate the invention the vaporizable substance is mercury, the pool 5 thereof resting near the cathode seaiAvithin the envelope 1, and a rare gas such as neon is used to facilitate starting the discharge, although this may be omitted. \Vhen the lamp is started into operation the first discharge takes place in the gas within the envelope. The heat of this discharge vaporizes some of the mercury, the discharge then taking place partly in the mercury, this process continuing until so much mercury is vaporized that substantially all the discharge takes place in the mercury. The electrical and radiation characteristics of the lamp, once this stage is reached, are those of mercury, and are entirely dependent upon the vapor pressure of the mercury. 1n the past this has varied materially with atmospheric and other conditions, since varying amounts of mercury would condense in the cooler parts of the en velope, depending upon the temperature thereof. lVhen condensed this mercury gravitates back to the pool 5, the temperature of this pool controlling the vapor pressure of the device. By the present invention a sleeve 7 of metal orother suitable material is slidably' fitted aboutltiioirenvelope 1 ad- 'acent to the cathode 3 and cathode seal 6.

The envelope 1 is preferably cylindrical throughout this portion thereof, and' 'tl sleeve 7 should frictionally engage said err-=- velope 1, so that it will remain in any position at which it is placed thereon. lrefersleeve 7 along the envelope 1 the extent to which said cathode 3 is surrounded by said sleeve 7 can be readily varied, and thereby the amount of radiant heat from cathode 3 intercepted by the sleeve is likewise varied. By intercepting this radiant heat the sleeve 7 raises the temperature of the mercury pool 5 in either, or both, of two ways, in part depending upon the material used for the sleeve 7. If the sleeve 7 is opaque it will reduce the radiation losses from the cathode chamber of the envelope 1, and thereby cause the temperature of all parts of that structure to increase, the mercury pool 5 thereby being brought to a higher temperature. If the sleeve 7 also be a good heat conductor, some of the radiant heat intercepted will be conducted through said sleeve to the wall of the envelope 1 adjacent to the mercury pool 5, P

raising the temperature of said wall and thereby of said mercury pool 5. This increase of temperature in the mercury pool 5, regardless of how produced results in an increased vapor pressure within the device. Since the amount of heat intercepted, and thus the temperature rise of the mercury pool 5, can be regulated by ad1usting the sleeve 7 with respect to the cathode 3, as indicated by the dotted lines, it is apparent that said sleeve 7 provides a simple and reliable method of controlling the vapor pressure of a gaseous discharge device containing a condensable vapor.

In Fig. 2 a modified form of the invention has been applied to a mercury arc device of the Cooper Hewitt type having the arc tube 10 with cathode chamber 11 and anode chambers 12. Under certain conditions it is necessary that these anode chambers open downward, as shown, and difiiculty is then encountered as a result of condensation of mercury in the anode chambers especially around the inlead seal, which is relatively cool. A heat intercepting sleeve 13 which closely fits the anode chamber 12 and extends from the inlead seal almost to the point where said chamber is sealedinto the arc tube 10, is provided for each of the anode chambers 12.

This sleeve 13 serves to reduce the radiation losses and to conduct heat from the heated portion of the chamber around the anode to the cooler portion around the seal, in which the mercury tends to collect, in the same manner as set forth in connection with Fig. 1, thereby maintaining the anode chamber free of condensed mercury. When desired adjust-ability is obtained by sliding the sleeve 13 downwardly.

While I have shown and described and have pointed out in the annexed claims certain novel featuresof the'invention it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation may be made by-those skilled the art ,of January, A. D. 1929.

without departing from the spirit of this inpressureof an electric discharge device-containing aa'condensable vapor and having an electrode chamber in.wh-ich condensed vapor tends to collect com rising varying the heat radiation from said electrode chamber to maintain condensed vapor at a constanttemerature. V Y

3. The method of controlling the vapor pressure of an electric discharge devicecontaining a condensable vapor, comprising intercepting a variable amount of heat from a warm portion of the device-and transmitting it to a portion where condensed vapor tends to collect, whereby the temperature of said condensed vapor may be maintained at any desired value. y

4. In combination, an electric discharge device and means comprising a body opaque to heat rays movable on said device for diverting a variable amount of heat from a warm portion of said device to a cooler portion thereof. v

5. In combination, an electric discharge device having an electrode chamber, and

means comprising a body 0 aque' to heat rays movable on said device or varying the heat distribution in said chamber.

6. In an electric discharge device an electrode chamber and means comprising an ad'- justable thermally conductive sleeve about said chamber to transfer a variable amount of heat from a warmv portion of said chambar to a cooler portion thereof. 7

7. In combination, an electric discharge device containinga condensable vapor and having an electrode chamber in wh ch condensed vapor tends to collect, and means comprising an adjustable thermally conduc-- tive sleeve about said chamber to transfer a regulatable amount of heat from a warm portion of said chamber to the portion where said condensed va or tends to collect.

Signed at Hobo (en, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, this 11th day nor 1). MAILEY. 

